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HomePosts Tagged "Maharashtra"
Agribusiness, AgroPolicy, India, Interaction, Seeds

Experts urge for curbs on rampant infringements affecting India’s seeds industry.

Amid a raging debate over intersectionality of AI and and IP Rights and need to modify the Indian Patent and Copyright Acts, the seed industry has asked for an incisive, non-invasive, and foolproof framework to “protect India’s premium intellectual property rights framework and prevent its infringement.” India possesses huge potential in global seed trade and stronger enforcement can help realise it, they said adding that a strong IPR framework will also ensure our farmers are saved from the damages caused by spurious and counterfeit products and will make their produce globally competitive.

At a conference attended, among others, by Chief QC Officer, Department of Agriculture, Government of Maharashtra, the industry and experts urged the government to expedite stricter enforcement of IPR and related laws.

Organized by the Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII) in collaboration with the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Authority (PPVFRA), Government of India, and the Department of Agriculture, Maharashtra, the conference brought together farmers, seed industry leaders, and government officials. The discussions centered on tackling counterfeit seeds, strengthening IPR frameworks, and creating a more secure and sustainable seed market in India.

Reiterating the government’s commitment to protecting the IPR of India’s seeds industry, Praveen Deshmukh, Chief QC officer, Department of Agriculture, Maharashtra spelt out the need for capacity-building initiatives to combat seed piracy.

He highlighted that many instances of seed piracy stem from a lack of awareness among farmers and industry players about existing laws. To bridge this gap, he called for state-led awareness campaigns, training programs, and regulatory workshops that educate stakeholders on the risks of using unapproved seeds and the long-term benefits of supporting innovation through legally protected seed varieties.

Marking the third edition of this initiative, following successful sessions in Delhi and Hyderabad last year, the Pune conference highlighted the urgent need to safeguard seed innovation through stricter regulatory mechanisms.

Dr Trilochan Mohapatra, Chairperson, PPVFRA, and Former Secretary, DARE & DG, ICAR, emphasized that farmers must be at the center of all policy decisions. He highlighted that the Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers’ Rights Act (PPVFRA) aims to drive agricultural prosperity, and effective IPR enforcement will ultimately benefit farmers and the nation.

“With two-thirds of the formal seed supply coming from the private sector, there is an urgent need for widespread awareness of IPR and PVP among all stakeholders. Unregistered or unknown seed sources compromise quality, putting farmers at risk,” he warned.

Strengthening IPR enforcement for critical crops like cotton, among others, is vital to ensuring that farmers have access to high-quality seeds, thereby boosting productivity.

Raghavan Sampathkumar, Executive Director, FSII, reiterated that navigating the complex regulatory landscape remains a key challenge for industry players. “By facilitating dialogue and knowledge-sharing, we can create a more conducive environment for innovation and sustainable agricultural practices,” he noted. He also stressed that the rising threat of seed piracy demands a coordinated effort between policymakers, seed companies, and enforcement agencies. Strengthening laws and penalties against counterfeit seed sellers, improving seed certification processes, and promoting traceability mechanisms were some of the solutions discussed.

Dr Dinesh Agarwal, Registrar General, PPVFRA, thanked the Government of Maharashtra and FSII for encouraging dialogue on strengthening India’s agricultural ecosystem. “India’s rich agro-biodiversity is preserved by our farmers, who account for 50 per cent of biodiversity registrations. We recognise the vital contributions of farmers, the private sector, and public institutions in developing new crop varieties, making India the second-largest in the world for variety registrations. Our goal is to provide farmers with a diverse choice of crops, ensuring seamless licensing and enforcement under the IPR regime through better collaboration between public and private sectors,” he said.

With India’s seed industry poised for significant expansion, ensuring robust IPR protection will be critical in maintaining farmer confidence, encouraging research-driven growth, and preventing the proliferation of counterfeit seeds. Experts at the conference agreed that a combination of policy reforms, industry collaboration, and farmer education is the way forward.

Experts urge for curbs on rampant infringements

Horticulture, Supply Chain, Trade

The container was flagged off by Rajesh Aggarwal, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Abhishek Dev, Chairman APEDA at MSAMB’s Irradiation Facility Center in Vashi

INI Farms, India’s leading F&V exporter flagged off the first container of ‘Kimaye’ pomegranates to the USA. This is a groundbreaking development for Indian F&V exports as it marks the start of fruit exports to the USA via the sea route. Travelling nearly 20,000 km, this is the longest distance travelled by any Indian fruit in the world!

The outcome is the result of more than year-long joint efforts of APEDA, Ministry of Commerce and Industry – GOI, Ministry of Agriculture Govt of Maharashtra, Maharashtra State Agricultural Marketing Board (MSAMB), United States Department of Agriculture APHIS (USDA APHIS), NPPO, Pomegranate National Research Center and INI Farms. This encompassed various initiatives from farm registrations, training & monitoring, air shipment trials, development of sea protocol, static trials for shelf life extension and post-harvest treatment.    

The container was flagged off by Rajesh Aggarwal, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Commerce and Abhishek Dev, Chairman APEDA at MSAMB’s Irradiation Facility Center in Vashi (Navi Mumbai). The event was graced by dignitaries from MSAMB, Regional Plant Quarantine Station (RPQS – MoA&FW), US Consulate and US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), APEDA and NRC Solapur. The consignment of 4200 boxes (12.6 tons) of ‘Kimaye’ pomegranates is set to sail to delight customers in the US

Today, India is the world’s largest producer of pomegranates, with over 2,75,500 hectares of land under cultivation. During the fiscal year 2022-23, the country exported over 60,000 metric tonnes of pomegranates to countries like UAE, the Netherlands, Oman, Bahrain and others. The successful export of pomegranates to the USA opens up a new opportunity for Indian pomegranate farmers and exporters and will open doors to other long-distance markets like Australia.

The container was flagged off by Rajesh

Award, Company News, India, Supply Chain

The CII Food Safety Award is a respected industry platform benchmarking food safety best practices in manufacturing across the supply chain

Cargill, a leading global food and agriculture company, has been conferred with two recognitions for ‘Significant Achievement in Food Safety’ at the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Food Safety Awards 2023, for its commitment towards best-in-class food safety practices in India.

The 14th edition of the CII Food Safety Award ceremony took place on 31 January 2024, where Cargill’s food safety initiatives were recognised in two award categories: 

Large Manufacturing Food Businesses: Fats and Oils – Kurkumbh plant, Maharashtra

Large Manufacturing Food Business: Sweeteners – Davangere plant, Karnataka

The CII Food Safety Award is a respected industry platform benchmarking food safety best practices in manufacturing across the supply chain. The evaluation criteria for the award cover company performance on stringent domestic food safety standards, and leadership initiatives, besides social and statutory compliances. Winners are selected following a rigorous assessment process that also includes onsite evaluation of food safety practices by a team of experts. 

Simon George, president of Cargill India, and managing director, of Food Solutions South Asia, said, “At Cargill, we are committed to providing safe and quality products. We invest in advanced manufacturing and refining equipment and processes, to ensure compliance with the highest standards of food safety regulations in the country. Our customers and consumers count on us to ensure the safety and quality of our products. This award is a great validation of the progress we have made in our food safety performance over recent years. As we move ahead, we continue to set a higher benchmark for ourselves in this important area.” 

The CII Food Safety Award is a

Company News, Floriculture, India

This trial event coincided with the prestigious HortiProIndia 2023 International Exhibition & Conference, which attracted many growers to the region

In a groundbreaking collaboration, Syngenta Flowers presented the first-ever Syngenta Flowers Show in Pune, Maharashtra, India, along with distributor Dhandeep Seeds and Shree Balaji Nursery.

This trial event coincided with the prestigious HortiProIndia 2023 International Exhibition & Conference, which attracted many growers to the region.  

Anil Ambekar, owner of Shree Balaji: “Including all stakeholders from the flowers value chain, the audience included over 500 visitors. Flower growers from across India took the opportunity to see the innovative and tailormade assortment that Syngenta Flowers selected for this event. Our team worked very well together with the team of Dhandeep Seeds and Syngenta Flowers during the event to provide information and tips to growers. Everybody enjoyed the face-to-face conversations on the unique challenges of growing in Indian conditions.”  

These conditions include hot and humid climates and local substrate mixtures with native soil, coir, and dried cow dung. 

The hot and humid climate of Pune put the genetics to the test with several heavy rainfalls, just a week before the show. Yet the resilient plants withstood these adverse conditions, which highlighted once again their genetic robustness. 

The event not only highlighted the top-quality genetics of Syngenta Flowers but also revealed the collective effort required for such a monumental initiative. Hosting this large-scale event for the first time required careful planning and a significant amount of commitment.

This trial event coincided with the prestigious

Agrotech, Company News, India

Zuari FarmHub initiated trials of the CropX system at Zuari Agri Innovation Centre in Solapur as well as select farmer fields across Karnataka & Maharashtra

Zuari FarmHub, a leading agritech company in India, announced its partnership with CropX Technologies, a global agri-tech company specializing in digital agronomic solutions. The collaboration aims to revolutionise farming practices by introducing real-time monitoring technology that empowers farmers with data-driven insights for enhanced productivity and sustainability.

Zuari FarmHub initiated trials of the CropX system at Zuari Agri Innovation Centre in Solapur as well as select farmer fields across Karnataka & Maharashtra. CropX offers a state-of-the-art hardware-enabled system that monitors critical agronomic parameters in real-time. These smart devices collect predictive soil data, combining it with additional data sources in and around the farm, and agronomic knowledge to generate recommendations on irrigation and nutrient management. This helps farmers to optimise resources and improve crop growth.

“We at Zuari FarmHub are thrilled to partner with a pioneering agri-tech company like CropX Technologies, that shares our vision of revolutionising agriculture through cutting-edge technology,” said Madan Pandey, MD & CEO of Zuari FarmHub. “By providing farmers with real-time data and precise recommendations, we are empowering them to maximize yields, reduce resource wastage, and ensure sustainable farming practices.”

“The collaboration with Zuari FarmHub represents an exciting opportunity to extend the reach of our innovative solutions to Indian farmers,” said Tomer Tzach, CEO of CropX Technologies. “By combining our agri-tech expertise with Zuari FarmHub’s deep understanding of the Indian agricultural landscape, we aim to re-vitalize industry practices.”

The collaboration between Zuari FarmHub and CropX Technologies signifies a major milestone in advancing precision agriculture in India. As the pilot progresses, Zuari FarmHub will appropriately roll out the CropX system in other regions of India.

Zuari FarmHub initiated trials of the CropX

AgroPolicy, India, Sustainability, Trade

Turmeric exports from India expected to rise to $1 billion by 2030

The Government of India notified the constitution of the National Turmeric Board. The National Turmeric Board will focus on the development and growth of turmeric and turmeric products in the country.

The National Turmeric Board will provide leadership on turmeric-related matters, augment the efforts, and facilitate greater coordination with the Spices Board and other Government agencies in the development and growth of the turmeric sector.

There is significant potential and interest worldwide in the health and wellness benefits of turmeric, which the Board will leverage to further increase awareness and consumption, develop new markets internationally to increase exports, promote research and development into new products, and develop our traditional knowledge for value-added turmeric products. It will especially focus on capacity building and skill development of turmeric growers for harnessing greater benefits out of value addition. The Board will also promote quality and food safety standards and adherence to such standards. The Board will also take steps to further safeguard and usefully exploit turmeric’s full potential for humanity.

The activities of the Board will contribute towards greater well-being and prosperity of the turmeric growers through their focussed and dedicated attention to the sector and the larger value addition closer to the farms, which would provide better realisation to the growers for their produce. The Board’s activities in research, market development, increasing consumption, and value addition will also ensure that our growers and processors continue to maintain their pre-eminent position in the global markets as exporters of high-quality turmeric and turmeric products.

The Board shall have a Chairperson to be appointed by the Central Government, members from the Ministry of AYUSH, Departments of Pharmaceuticals, Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Commerce & Industry of the Union Government, senior State Government representatives from three states (on a rotation basis), select national/state institutions involved in research, representatives of turmeric farmers and exporters, and have a Secretary to be appointed by the Department of Commerce.

India is the largest producer, consumer and exporter of turmeric in the world. In the year 2022-23, an area of 3.24 lakh ha was under turmeric cultivation in India with a production of 11.61 lakh tonnes (over 75 per cent of global turmeric production). More than 30 varieties of Turmeric are grown in India and it is grown in over 20 states in the country. The largest producing states of Turmeric are Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

India has more than 62 per cent share of world trade in turmeric. During 2022-23, 1.534 lakh tonnes of turmeric and turmeric products valued at $207.45 million were exported by more than 380 exporters The leading export markets for Indian Turmeric are Bangladesh, UAE, USA and Malaysia. With the focused activities of the Board, it is expected that turmeric exports will reach $1 Billion by 2030.

Turmeric exports from India expected to rise

Acquaculture, AgroPolicy, India, Live Stock

Production of silver pomfret was 17, 235 tonnes in 2022, which declined by 8.45 per cent compared to 2017

Sudhir Mungantiwar the state minister of forests in Maharashtra, announced that the silver pomfret has been declared the ‘state fish’ of Maharashtra during a national conference on the Kisan Credit Card. This type of seafood is highly preferred by the coastal population of Maharashtra. The central fisheries minister, Parshottam Rupala, was present during the announcement. Mungantiwar stated that this decision will contribute to the conservation and growth of silver pomfret production in Maharashtra.

Fishermen in the state have recently expressed concern over the decline of silver pomfret due to mechanised fishing. The fish is being caught prematurely, leading to a drastic decrease in its quantity in coastal waters. Fishermen’s associations have called on the government to take action to protect the species. The decline in numbers has made it difficult to catch fully-grown silver pomfret which is known for its soft, buttery taste and popularity in Maharashtrian cuisine. The government’s decision is likely to safeguard the species and increase its catch in the state.

According to the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), production of silver pomfret was 17, 235 tonnes in 2022, which declined by 8.45 per cent compared to 2017.

Pomfret was once abundant along the coasts of Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, Raigad, Thane, and Palghar districts. It can also be found in coastal areas of Satpati, Jhai, Surat, and Kutch. Establishment of the Oil production project ‘Mumbai High’, leading to the invasion of the fish’s marine habitat. Unfortunately, there has been a consistent decrease in pomfret production since the 1980s. The state government recognised the significance of this fish species and even issued postage stamps to commemorate it.

Production of silver pomfret was 17, 235

AgroPolicy, Biofuel industry, India

Additionally, Rs 6000 crore can be saved annually by blending 20 per cent DME

Methanol is a low-carbon, hydrogen carrier fuel produced from high ash coal, agricultural residue, CO2 from thermal power plants and natural gas. It is the best pathway for meeting India’s commitment to COP 21.

NITI Aayog’s ‘Methanol Economy’ programme is aimed at reducing India’s oil import bill, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and converting coal reserves and municipal solid waste into methanol. 

Although slightly lower in energy content than petrol and diesel, methanol can replace both these fuels in the transport sector (road, rail and marine), energy sector (comprising DG sets, boilers, process heating modules, tractors and commercial vehicles) and retail cooking (replacing LPG [partially], kerosene and wood charcoal). The blending of 15 per cent methanol in gasoline can result in at least a 15 per cent reduction in the import of gasoline/crude oil. In addition, this would bring down GHG emissions by 20 per cent in terms of particulate matter, NOx, and SOx, thereby improving the urban air quality.

The methanol Economy will also create close to 5 million jobs through methanol production/application and distribution services. Additionally, Rs 6000 crore can be saved annually by blending 20 per cent DME (Di-methyl Ether, a derivative of methanol) in LPG. This will help the consumer in saving between Rs 50-100 per cylinder.

The Bureau of Indian Standards has notified 20 per cent DME blending with LPG, and a notification for M-15, M-85 and M-100 blends has been issued by the Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways. Test standards and plans for the M-15 blend are being evolved in consultation with the Indian Oil Corporation Limited, the Automotive Research Association of India and the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers. In the railway sector, RDSO is working towards blending methanol in the range of 5-20 per cent through direct fuel injection in locomotives.

On 5 October 2018, Assam Petrochemicals launched Asia’s first canister-based methanol cooking fuel programme. This initiative is an extension of our Hon’ble Prime Minister’s vision of reducing the import of crude oil and striving towards the provision of a clean, cost-effective and pollution-free cooking medium. Methanol stoves can result in at least 20% savings for households. After the success of the pilot, the methanol cooking programme was scaled up to 1,00,000 households in the States of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Karnataka, Jharkhand and Manipur.

Five methanol plants based on high ash coal, five DME plants, and one natural gas-based methanol production plant with a capacity of 20 MMT/annum, in a joint venture with Israel, have been planned to be set up. Three boats and seven cargo vessels are being built by the Cochin Shipyard Limited for the Inland Waterways Authority of India to use methanol as a marine fuel.

Thermax Ltd has successfully developed a 5 KW methanol-based reformer on a Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC). This module is being tested to replace DG sets in mobile towers. For direct electricity generation, Kirloskar Oil Engines Ltd has converted a 5 KW generator set to run on 100% methanol. Kirloskar is working towards converting generator sets of 150-300 KVA/KW capacity, in collaboration with Dor Chemicals, Israel.

Under R&D, work is in progress to set up coal-to-methanol plants in the country using indigenous technology, which is being developed by BHEL (Hyderabad and Trichy), Thermax, and IIT Delhi. Thermax and IIT Delhi are working on a TPD demonstration plant, while BHEL Hyderabad and Trichy are working on 1 TPD and 40 TPD demonstration plants, respectively. 

An R&D project has also been sanctioned by the Department of Biotechnology to IISc Bengaluru and Praj Industries Pune for the production of methanol from biomass. Phase-I of the production of syngas from biomass was demonstrated in January 2019.

Additionally, Rs 6000 crore can be saved

AgroPolicy, Horticulture, Supply Chain, Trade

The government is taking steps to control inflation and meet the demand and check the prices of tomatoes in India

Nirmala Sitharaman Finance Minister (FM) informed the Parliament that the government is importing tomatoes from Nepal due to a record-high spike in prices in the country.

The minister said that the government is taking steps to control inflation and meet the demand and check the prices of tomatoes in India, it has decided to import them from its neighbour, Nepal. Sitharaman was participating in a debate on the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha. As per her, the government has removed import restrictions and the first lot of tomatoes from Nepal will reach Varanasi, Kanpur, Lucknow this week.

Sitharaman also said that through the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Ltd (NAFED) and other cooperative societies, the government has been procuring tomatoes from Maharashtra and Karnataka. These tomatoes are then distributed in Delhi-NCR, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Rajasthan at subsidised rates. The National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation of India Ltd. has distributed 8.84 lakh kg of tomatoes in the aforementioned states. The finance minister added that the wholesale prices of tomatoes in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are already coming down.

Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat, Odisha, West Bengal, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Tamil Nadu are the major tomato-producing states in the country. These states account for 91 per cent of the total production of the country, said FM.

The government is taking steps to control

Agrotech, Award, India, IT, R&D

The Krushi Care app is utilised by over 12,000 farmers and features a catalogue of more than 500 products

Esteemed technology expert Sujata Roychowdhury recently received the Maharashtra Business Icon Award for her outstanding achievements in the agriculture sector. She has made significant strides in the Agriculture Technology Sector by building Krushi Care App for farmers. Her groundbreaking contributions have not gone unnoticed, as she has recently been bestowed with the prestigious ‘Maharashtra Business Icon Awards 2023’ in the category of ‘Outstanding Leadership in Product Growth and Innovation for Agricultural Technology Solutions’.

Krushi Care App, also known as the Farmer App, is an innovative and comprehensive mobile application designed to revolutionise the agricultural sector. To solve the problems that farmers encounter, the Krushi Care software integrates cutting-edge technology, including IoT, data analytics, and real-time monitoring. The programme provides cognitive insights and predictive analytics to help farmers make data-driven decisions for improved outcomes. This is made possible by the integration of AI-based algorithms. It is a game-changer for the agricultural community. It empowers farmers to make informed decisions, connect with potential buyers and sellers, access vital resources, and stay updated with the latest industry developments.

Through the programme, farmers may get weather forecasting services, allowing them to properly plan their activities and adjust to shifting weather conditions. Additionally, the app analyses the health of the soil and uses artificial intelligence to optimise nutrient management practices based on nutrient content, pH levels, and other variables. With its user-friendly interface, comprehensive features, and commitment to the success of farmers, the app is poised to revolutionise the way agriculture is practised, ensuring a sustainable and prosperous future for farmers across the nation. Currently, the Krushi Care app is utilised by over 12,000 farmers and features a catalogue of more than 500 products, catering to the needs of over 55 villages throughout Maharashtra.

The Krushi Care app is utilised by

AgroPolicy, Supply Chain, Vegetables

Tomato to be distributed at discounted prices to consumers in places of concern including the Delhi-NCR region

The Department of Consumer Affairs has directed National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NAFED) and National Cooperative Consumers Federation (NCCF) to immediately procure Tomatoes from Mandis in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra for simultaneous distribution in major consumption centres where retail prices have recorded maximum increase in the last one month. The stocks of Tomatoes will be distributed through retail outlets at discounted prices to the consumers in Delhi-NCR region by Friday, this week.

The targeted centres for release have been identified on the basis of the absolute increase in retail prices over the past month in centres where prevailing prices are above the All-India average. Key consumption centres in states having a higher concentration of the identified centres are further selected for the intervention.

Tomato is produced almost in all the states in India, though in varying quantities. Maximum production is in southern and western regions of India, contributing 56 per cent-58 per cent of all India production. Southern and Western regions being surplus states feed to other markets depending on production seasons. The production seasons are also different across regions. The peak harvesting season occurs from December to February. The periods during July-August and October-November are generally the lean production months for tomatoes. July coinciding with the monsoon season adds to further challenges related to distribution and increased transit losses adding to price rise. The cycle of planting and harvesting seasons and variation across regions are primarily responsible for price seasonality in Tomato. Apart from the normal price seasonality, temporary supply chain disruptions and crop damage due to adverse weather conditions often lead to sudden price spikes.

Currently, the supplies coming to markets in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and some other states are mostly from Maharashtra especially Satara, Narayangaon, and Nashik which is expected to last till this month end. Madanapalle (Chittoor) in Andhra Pradesh also has continued arrivals in reasonable quantities. Delhi-NCR arrivals are mainly from Himachal Pradesh, and some quantity comes from Kolar in Karnataka.

New crop arrivals are expected soon from the Nashik district. Furthermore, in August, additional supply is expected to come from Narayangaon and Aurangabad belt. Madhya Pradesh arrivals are also expected to start. Prices are anticipated to cool down in the near future, accordingly.

Tomato to be distributed at discounted prices

Agrotech, Company News, IT, R&D, Start ups

Bhaasa is powered by speech recognition that can converse in 10 languages across 80+ dialects

spocto, the world’s leading debt support and risk mitigation platform announced its strategic partnership with KisanServ, a prominent AgriTech company based out of Pune, for the deployment of spocto’s AI driven multilingual voice bot ‘Bhaasa’. Through Bhaasa, Kisanserv would be able to communicate across different languages in real-time with thousands of farmers across 4 states.

Developed within spocto X platform, Bhaasa is a multilingual AI voicebot that communicates in regional dialects and languages, with context recognition capabilities. Powered by Natural Language Processing (NLP), Bhaasa can be integrated with the recovery interface and reduce human intervention, thus saving 30 per cent in resource cost every year for the lenders, while improving the customer experience for delinquent customers by over 47 per cent.

“The agricultural sector holds great significance not only for the government but also for banks. Given our extensive experience in the agricultural domain with banks, we enthusiastically embraced the challenge presented by kisanserv in a different world of agritech. We have developed modules in four languages – Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati and Kannada. This endeavour reflects our commitment to serving the needs of farmers and underscores the importance we place on the agricultural sector and its application to any industry,” said Sumeet Srivastava, CEO & Founder, spocto.

To make Kisanserv communication easily accessible and effective to Indian farmers, even from the remotest parts of India, Kisanserv partnered with spocto to develop a specific module that will solve their use case.

Acknowledging the same, Praveen Tiwary, Co-Founder & CTO, KisanServ, said “On our supply side, We work with thousands of farmers on a daily basis about their produce, and our operations. The challenge is always the variety of languages and the quantum of people we work with daily which leads to efficiency issues. And on our demand side, we have to talk to retail customers across metro cities as we have numerous retail outlets in Maharashtra. We wanted a great uniform communication experience on both sides of the spectrum irrespective of different communication strategies. It’s been a great experience so far with spocto developing 2 different communication strategies for both sides that have led to significant savings for us and led to a great customer satisfaction index when we looked at our feedback score.”

Bhaasa built within the spocto X platform is amongst the first of the many creations of the spocto innovation lab (SIL). SIL was launched late last year and is India’s first innovation lab dedicated to the debt collection segment of banking industries in India and the Middle East. Through an expedited method, SIL is intended to speed the development of disruptive technologies such as AI/ML, big data, data security, and so on. SIL is working with all participants in the collecting ecosystem to prepare for the future by taking a digital-first strategy. Being an NLP collection voice bot with human-like engagement, Bhaasa is powered by speech recognition that can converse in 10 languages across 80+ dialects.

Bhaasa is powered by speech recognition that

Agrotech, Dairy, Live Stock, R&D

Laxmi is from a high genetic merit IVF embryo having the potential for the production of 35-40 kg milk a day.

NDDB Dairy Services (NDS) announced the birth of the first female calf ‘Laxmi’, under the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD), Government of India’s Accelerated Breed Improvement Programme through IVF Embryo Transplant (ABIP-IVF-ET). The programme targets establishing two lakh pregnancies through the transplant of IVF embryos of high genetic merit to enhance the milk yield for dairy farmers.

The results of nine months of hard ground work which started with the transplant of IVF embryos in September 2022, have started coming in. Since the news of more births only seems to pour in, with 13 healthy female births confirmed to date. Laxmi is the first female calf born from the surrogate transplanted with an IVF embryo at Rajarambapu Patil Cooperative Milk Union Ltd., Islampur (Sangli), in Maharashtra. More than 250 births are expected in due course from cows and buffaloes whose pregnancies through IVF embryo transplants have been confirmed.

“Laxmi is from a high genetic merit IVF embryo having a potential for production of 35-40 kg milk a day, which is nearly double the average of the existing cattle owned by dairy farmers in this area,” said an exuberant Sushil Dilip Khot, the dairy farmer beneficiary who has just expanded his herd with the birth of Laxmi.

Meenesh Shah, NDDB & NDS Chairman, shared that the journey has not been easy. “When we initially started, the success rate with IVF embryo transplant was as low as 9 per cent, which today has reached, in some cases, up to 46 per cent. The success depends on the proper selection of the surrogates & its management, and there is still a lot of work required in the area.”

NDDB’s wholly owned subsidiary, NDS is one of the service providers identified by the DAHD, Government of India, for the execution of the programme. NDS last year kicked off the implementation on September 22 from Islampur in Maharashtra, said a Company spokesperson.

The NDS team have been working relentlessly for over a year and has already scaled the programme to 15 milk unions in six states, i.e. Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Punjab, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh. Since September 2022, the team so far has transferred 1,436 embryos, out of which 1,211 have been examined for pregnancies. During the current financial year, embryo transplant activity will be scaled up, and another 3,000 IVF embryo pregnancies are expected to be established.

The choice of breed of the embryo to be transplanted lies with the farmer, and the gender-sorted IVF embryos of about 6 indigenous cattle and 1 buffalo breed have been used to ensure that 90 per cent of calves born are female. As the calves will have none of the characteristics of the surrogate, the potential of producing milk goes up to 15-20 kgs from Gir and Sahiwal breeds of cows and 20 kgs from the Murrah buffalo breed, the NDS spokesperson said.

Laxmi is from a high genetic merit

AgroPolicy, India, Sustainability, Water

Till date about 81 per cent more than the area covered during pre-PDMC 8 years

A National Workshop on Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) was organised by the Department of Agriculture& Farmers Welfare (DA&FW), Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India discussed with the stakeholders the various approaches which can be adopted for increasing penetration of micro irrigation in the country. Participants from various Ministries/ Department of Central Government, States and UTs, Irrigation Industries, Startups working in the water management sector and Farmers Producer Organisations were present in the event.

Manoj Ahuja, Secretary, of the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) inaugurated the event. He emphasised the adoption of technologies in the implementation of the programmes and focused on enhancing micro-irrigation coverage and thereby increasing overall efficiency and water productivity of agriculture for ensuring the food and nutrition security of the country and incomes of the farmers, particularly in rainfed areas. Dr Himanshu Pathak, Secretary, of the Department of Agricultural Research & Education (DARE) also addressed the inaugural session. He urged all participants to make efforts to adopt micro-irrigation on a large scale to reduce the water footprint of the agriculture sector.

Franklin L Khobung, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare explained in detail the Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) Scheme and the progress made so far. It was informed that the Department of Agriculture, Farmers Welfare (DA&FW) is implementing a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) from  2015-16 in all the States of the country which focuses on enhancing water use efficiency at the farm level through Micro Irrigation viz. Drip and Sprinkler irrigation systems. An area of 78 lakh ha has been covered under Micro Irrigation from 2015-16 to till date which is about 81 per cent more than the area covered during pre-PDMC 8 years. The Government has been focusing on increasing water productivity in agriculture and thereby sustainable agriculture and incomes of farmers. A Micro Irrigation Fund (MIF) with a corpus of Rs. 5000 Crore has been created with NABARD during 2018-19 with the major objective to facilitate the States in mobilising the resources to provide top-up/additional incentives to farmers for incentivising micro irrigation beyond the provisions available under Per Drop More Crop as well as innovative integrated projects including projects in the Public Private Partnership (PPP) for expanding Micro-irrigation. A Budget announcement has been made to double the initial corpus of the Micro Irrigation Fund under NABARD, by augmenting it by another Rs. 5,000 crores.

During the programme, five Best Gram Panchayats from the States of Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu were recognised for their efforts in high micro-irrigation adoption and best practices in the water management sector.

Till date about 81 per cent more